A Roller Coaster Week!

October 21, 2013

This week has been a roller coaster. I told you about Sunday in my last letter and the feeling I got when S and her family didn´t show up - It killed me. 

Tuesday was probably the hardest day I´ve had on mission. I´ve been pretty good about dealing with stress, but today just got the best of me. I was frustrated with my Spanish, and frustrated with how to teach people... I had a breakdown, LUCKY for me... I have the best compy on the planet. While I was trying to compose myself in the bathroom, she made me hot chocolate and said she is there if I need her. Later that day, we had our last district meeting with Elder H. That is the picture I`m sending. We went to Valverde again and taught S and her family – N said she would prepare for November 2nd!!! It´s way exciting!!

Wednesday we taught a family from Senigal, they don´t understand Spanish very well, and they´re very Muslim. I don´t know if we´ll continue with them or not.  As we were going up to a lesson, we saw M on the street (He sells tissues to the cars that are stopped at a light) but he came and apologized for how he acted. It felt so good after that, like no more frustration with him. He said we could come teach his son once a week. We were so happy! We contacted a reference,  he´s from Romania. Then, we stopped by RM´s and gave her some coconut things, because she messed up her leg. I don´t really know how... but she fell and hurt it. We made another trip to Valverde-- the lesson went great! After, I asked G what video games he likes, and I told him I liked to play zombies. I think he was a little surprized and then he pulled out Black Ops haha it was funny. 

Thursday I got a package!  It was FILLED with reeses and cookies and cream candy bars. It was so nice of him!! So after we talked to M. on Wednesday, we called Bishop and asked permission to visit him again. He said he wanted someone else to go with us. On Thursday, we asked R to come with us. When we went to pick him up, G was there.. and he asked if he could come too. It was a great lesson, with the whole family, two return missionaries, and the two of us. It went great. We asked them if they were going to come to church on Sunday, and the parents said if they couldn´t come, they would call someone to take the kids.

Friday nothing much happened, but Saturday was the day of MIRACLES.... We taught A.C., and I took the lead in the lesson. It wasn´t too bad! We went to follow up on a future, but she wasn´t home. We knocked the rest of the building and found a nice man that said we could come back when his wife was home and teach his family. Later on Friday, we had a lesson with that reference I was talking about earlier, J. He broke down, and talked about how hard his life was. He needs the gospel and will be blessed SO MUCH when he has it! He said he would come to church on Sunday and we set up a family home evening with Him and G.

As we waited at the chapel on Sunday before church, we walked outside and saw the BEST THING IN THE WORLD.... S, G, and N walking toward the chapel! It was the greatest feeling ever!! COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what I felt when we found out they weren´t coming last week. I had to talk in sacrament meeting, and at the end I was bearing my testimony- and I said ´´I know my Spanish isn´t very good´´ (then I began to choke up) then I finished my testimony. So many people came up to me and told me how strong and how great my talk was. I also think they thought I was crying because I can´t speak Spanish, and that could have been part of it... but you know me! I cry when I bear my testimony! It´s just what we do, huh mom! (; Anyway... it turned out alright I guess!! Oh and M, J, and their three kids also came to church!! (: J didn´t, and we still have to find out why - but hopefully next week! S´s family said they really liked church and felt very VERY welcomed by the members. N said she thought it would be boring, but she actually liked it.

Like I said... Ups and Downs of being a missionary. I think missionaries feel the lowest lows and the highest highs - but when you feel those happy moments, it makes everything else worth it!

The Monday after General Conference, we started reading the Book of Mormon from the start as a mission. President Deere said we´re going to read it in 85 days, because that´s how long it took Joseph Smith to translate it. I am learning SO SO MUCH. It´s amazing - I can´t believe the little things that I´ve read a million times but never really got anything out of them, but now they are so so clear. I love being a missionary - even when times are hard. I don´t have my scriptures with me right now, but I think in 2 Nephi 2 it talks about ´´opposition in all things´´  I know that if we didn´t feel the disappointment, we would be filled with that amazing happiness when things do go our way!

I love you so much!! I´m so grateful to have a wonderful, loving, talented family! (: Tell those kiddos how much I miss them and love them! LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Hermana Sara Brown